Williamsburg Welcomes Osteria Il Paiolo

Few restaurants can achieve excellence through so much contradiction, but Osteria Il Paiolo just might be one of those establishments. The rustic-yet-modern interior, with exposed brick and air ducts running across the ceiling, is set to a soundtrack of classic rock; the wood-burning oven (turning out fresh-baked breads) and meat slicer suggest traditional Italian food, while the menu suggests otherwise. "Il Paiolo" translates to "the copper pot", which explains the copper signage out in front of this lovely Osteria, but it also refers to a Northern Italian polenta dish made in a paiolo. The grand opening of Osteria Il Paiolo was Saturday, but the owners, Alex and Amanda Palumbo, had a few neighborhood locals (like myself) in for a tasting on Friday.

Hopefully taking some attention away from Sea, Osteria Il Paiolo is located on North 6th street between Berry and Wythe in Williamsburg. I brought my friend Hal with me to this tasting, because not only does he enjoy a good meal, but he also complains that I never take him anywhere. Owner Alex Palumbo (former manager of iconic Da Silvano in NYC for five years) greeted us warmly at the door and we were seated promptly in the back near the wood-burning oven. The smell of bread baking was both enjoyable and torturous at the same time. Fortunately, we were presented with a basket of fresh bread and olive oil rather quickly; the olive oil was so rich it was almost green, and the bread was still slightly warm.

Interior

The first round of tastings came to the table: Vitello Tonnato (thinly sliced veal round in a tuna sauce with capers), Bruschetta Classica, Salsiccia E Verza (homemade sausage with savoy cabbage baked in wood burning oven), and an assortment of sliced meats and cheeses served on a piece of brown butcher paper. Everything was very good, but the bruschetta and sausage exceeded my expectations. I know what you're thinking though - how can you have expectations for bruschetta? You can't really, but you can make it satisfactory, or you can make it exemplary. The bread was crunchy, still a little warm, and had a generous dousing of olive oil on top of the fresh vine-ripe tomatoes and onions. Perfection. Now the baked sausage was delicious and fell apart with the gentle poke of a fork, but it's best asset was the sauce it's baked in. With savory ribbons of cabbage and spinach running through it, it's one of those thin (but not watery), tomato sauces that's perfect for dipping bread in.

Salsiccia e Verza – mmm

Osteria Il Paiolo makes their pasta in-house, so naturally, we had to try a few of their specialties: Tagliatelle Bolognese and Gnocchi All'aragosta (lobster gnocchi). My personal preference was the lobster gnocchi (and Hal's as well), because it just so happens that my mom makes the best bolognese sauce, so I refuse to order it anywhere. I'm not kidding I think she should bottle the stuff. Anyway, this one wasn't bad by any means, and the pasta was good, but I felt it needed a little salt. The lobster in the gnocchi was great, and I liked the gnocchi, but between the two pastas I think I liked the tagliatelle better. The only thing I was disappointed about was we didn't get a taste of the Pappardelle alCioccolato, chocolate pappardelle pasta with wild boar ragu and vegetables. Chocolate pasta? It's either one of those amazing creations you never saw coming, or a total abomination. I'd love to find out…

Gnocchi All'Aragosta

Tagliatelle Bolognese

For the third course we had Polenta e Osei, which is polenta with quails in a tomato sauce. The polenta was carefully spread on our plates by one of the servers, then topped with two little pieces of quail. Dare I say I would have loved some cheese on this polenta? It was good, but felt a little plain (or maybe I just love cheese that much). Note to self for next time: they have Polenta Concia (polenta and fontina cheese) on the menu. The quail was nice and juicy, to the point where I was tempted to pick it up with my fingers and eat it like a chicken wing. I didn't though – despite the fact that the atmosphere is relaxed and semi-casual, it still has a classy feel to it, so I had to act somewhat civilized.

Polenta e Osei

Last but not least, the dessert tasting. Both Hal and I were hoping for something other than tiramisu because, well, it's just very predictable in an Italian restaurant and so far, Osteria Il Paiolo hadn't been predictable at all. So we were a little surprised to get a plate with a small portion of tiramisu, but like almost everything else in this restaurant, a contradiction follows. A small portion of what I thought was ricotta cheesecake sat alongside the tiramisu, but turns out it was a ricotta mousse with orange cream. It was interesting, but I wasn't a huge fan because it had rather large chunks of orange and lemon zest in it, so it was a little strong, but the mousse was light and airy. And tiramisu is tiramisu – I've had so many in my lifetime that it would have to be topped with money and diamonds to blow me away.

I'm really excited for Osteria Il Paiolo (and I rarely say that about a place), because I think they have a perfect combination of quality food, attentive service and relaxed ambiance that's just what the area needs. And they couldn't have picked a better location for that dynamic either. Sure there are plenty of great restaurants in Williamsburg, but few have this much character and promise.

Osteria il Paiolo is now serving wine, beer and booze! In celebration of the arrival of the liquor license, il Paiolo is hosting a promotional aperitivo on Monday August 9th from 5pm – 7pm. One aperitivo drink and buffet appetizers for $10 per person.

My experience there has lead me to believe that any positive reviews of this place have been left by family and friends of the owners…
After walking by and checking out the very tasty sounding menu with my fiance, the inviting ambience and US Open playing on the TV led us to make a date for the following evening. My fiance is authentic Italian and we also brought along a good friend (also Italian) because we were excited for an authentic meal in Williamsburg… Sadly we would be completely disappointed. My lamb two ways had clearly been frozen and was overcooked with very little taste. The broccoli rabe was oily and wilted. Her polenta was starchy like mashed potatoes and his pasta tasted “like a rehydrated camping meal” with pasta “from a can with sugar added”…
I don’t like to leave bad reviews, but these guys, who speak with Italian accents have clearly been away from the homeland too long. They may be able to get away with just the hype and ambience in NYC, but in Brooklyn we actually require the full delivery. To boot, the service was inadequate and inattentive… There are so many good restaurants in Williamsburg you just shouldn’t waste a dime here.
Actually, give it a shot and post your own review because I don’t want to be solely responsible for these guys downfall… I assure you they will earn it unless they really change their game

I don’t like to leave bad reviews, but these guys, who speak with Italian accents have clearly been away from the homeland too long. They may be able to get away with just the hype and ambience in NYC, but in Brooklyn we actually require the full delivery. To boot, the service was inadequate and inattentive… There are so many good restaurants in Williamsburg you just shouldn’t waste a dime here.

I had a meeting last year with a practicing high-level Leadership Development pro, and she alluded to the fact that she was functioning as an executive coach for her large organization as part of her role. I was intrigued by that, since she’s credible and I’ve had interest in the past. She gave me a couple of books to go get that she likes from a coaching model/practice standpoint, which was great.
What did I give her? My reservations about the external/consulting industry, that has sprung up around the coaching industry as a whole, and a linasdfk so she could order the Metallica documentary “Some Kind of Monster.” Here’s a link for you and why I cited it to her:

As many know, fashion is a form of art, art a form of symbolism, and symbolism a means of expression. These are all inter-related facets and fundamental to one another. Much of this, in the end, is rooted in tradition, as tradition is another means of expression and symbolism.

monster beatsEurope’s efforts to persuade bondholders to forgo part of their Greek loans without triggering a default hinge on how writedowns are twinned with the provision of top-rated collateral. dr dre beats
dre beatsCollateral is “the sweet spot of the whole deal,” according to Ioannis Sokos, a fixed-income strategist at BNP Paribas SA in London. Giving investors longer-dated AAA bonds and aiding Greece’s burdens by paring interest payments on the renegotiated securities is better than increasing the amount of capital bondholders have to sacrifice, and “should be preferred versus a heavy haircut,” he said.
monster headphonesA July agreement envisaged holders giving up 21 percent of the value of their Greek investments by swapping into one of four proposed arrangements. Lawmakers meeting in Brussels during the past three days considered five scenarios to update that accord, people familiar with the deliberations said. They range from sticking with a voluntary swap to a so-called hard restructuring that forces investors to exchange Greek bonds for new ones at 50 percent of their value, the people said. cheap beats by dre

A pupil’s father warned he said: if the exam results have no more than 60 points, permit someone get slap!!!!!
The school, students worry for the teacher to, and the teacher say: “not I scare you! My dad said, if I don’t pass the exam must someone get slap!”

Monster BeatsThe agency, which recently announced the retirement of the space shuttle, said it decided to put out jobs ads as a number of veteran astronauts are slated to leave. A handful of astronauts each year are launching on a Russian Soyuz spaceship to the International Space Station for six-month stays. NASA needs about 55 astronauts, and with a new class of nine graduating earlier this month, the astronaut roster is up to 58. Cheap Beats by Dre
Cheap Dre BeatsNASA officials said they are considering applications for various positions.
Dre Beats Headphones “NASA is more than astronauts. We are scientists, engineers, IT specialists, human resources specialists, accountants, writers, technicians and many, many other kinds of people. At the NASAJobs Web site, you can learn more about NASA employment opportunities and programs,” the space agency’s website reads. Monster Beat Headphones Monster Beats